Dr. Jehon Grist and Dr. Eli Tadmor—In the Shadow of Empires: Assyria-Babylonia, Egypt and Biblical Israel

Biblical Israel’s legacy from its ancient neighbors is not just a saga of conflict. Law, literature, early religious practices, and even food and drink owe much to the surrounding ancient cultures. Mesopotamia's cultures contributed to the foundational tales of the Torah—the Garden of Eden, Noah’s ark, the Tower of Babel and the Abraham narrative, the Jewish calendar, and the Hebrew language. Egypt’s hieroglyphs morphed into the Hebrew alphabet and Egyptian art influenced the iconography of the Ark of the Covenant, seals, and more. We will explore these points and also discover how both cultures' influence culminate in the Passover narrative and traditions.